Effects of road-salt application on Cladocera assemblages in shallow Precambrian Shield lakes in south-central Ontario, Canada

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 824-836
Author(s):  
Robin E. Valleau ◽  
Andrew M. Paterson ◽  
John P. Smol
1977 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 213-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
N.D. Yan ◽  
W.A. Scheider ◽  
P.J. Dillon

Abstract Intensive studies of Nelson Lake, a Sudbury area lake of intermediate pH ~5.7), were begun in 1975. The chemistry of the lake was typical of that of most PreCambrian Shield lakes except that low alkalinities and high sulphate concentrations were observed along with elevated heavy metal levels. After raising the pH of Nelson Lake to 6.4 by addition of Ca(OH)2 and CaCO3, the metals were reduced to background concentrations. Phytoplankton and Zooplankton communities, which at pH of 5.7 were typical of PreCambrian lakes, were not affected by the experimental elevation of lake pH.


2010 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 754-762 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer B. Korosi ◽  
Andrew M. Paterson ◽  
Anna M. DeSellas ◽  
John P. Smol

Understanding the long-term controls on cladoceran size structure has important implications for aquatic ecosystems. Although there has been considerable interest in zooplankton size trends for Canadian Shield lakes, data are not available for zooplankton size structure prior to the period of anthropogenic disturbances. Here, we present pre- and post-impact size data for the common pelagic cladocerans Bosmina and Daphnia for 44 well-studied Shield lakes in south-central Ontario (Canada). We show that Daphnia were larger and that the length of Bosmina body appendages (mucrones and antennules) was longer in pre-industrial times than they are today. The reduction in Bosmina appendage length we observed may suggest a reduction in copepod predation pressure since pre-industrial times. Reduced maximum body size in Daphnia is a predicted response to a warming climate in north temperate lakes; however, we suggest that alternate explanations, specifically acidification and subsequent recovery following emission reductions, should also be explored as the primary drivers of Daphnia size changes in this lake set. Overall, our results highlight the importance of pre-impact data for understanding the long-term controls on cladoceran body size from pre-1850 to present.


1986 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 788-796 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. D. Yan

A comparison of the predictive power of nine existing empirical zooplankton biomass models indicated that lake water phosphorus concentration may be a better predictor of zooplankton biomass in Canadian Shield lakes than phytoplankton biomass, chlorophyll a, midsummer epilimnetic temperature, mean surface water temperature, mean depth, and Carlson's trophic state index. To develop models specifically applicable to nutrient-poor Canadian Shield lakes, a variety of morphometric, chemical, and planktonic parameters were assessed for three consecutive years from 16 Canadian Shield lakes in south-central Ontario. Total nitrogen was the best univariate predictor of zooplankton biomass for data averaged over single ice-free seasons, but total phosphorus was the best predictor when data were averaged over the entire study period. Consideration of pH and maximum depth improved certain models. Total phosphorus is clearly a good predictor of (long-term) average zooplankton biomass in nutrient-poor lakes as it is in lakes exhibiting a wide range in trophic state.


2014 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brie A. Edwards ◽  
Donald A. Jackson ◽  
Keith M. Somers

When aquatic ecosystems are among those most intensely affected by local and regional environmental change, it is crucial that stressors are identified to set priorities for future research and mitigation. Studies relating changes in important or sensitive assemblages to environmental changes provide a means to quantify potential stress on aquatic biota. Crayfish are ideal taxa for this type of study because they influence ecosystem structure and function and are sensitive to biotic and abiotic changes. We used historical and contemporary crayfish abundance and select environmental data for 100 inland lakes in central Ontario, to identify factors that are correlated with community membership and species distributions at each time and to elucidate environmental factors that can be directly linked to changes in relative abundance between the two time periods. Our results show that declines in lake calcium, invasions of warm-water centrarchids, and anthropogenic shoreline development have increased in their relative influence over time. These stressors may be affecting other freshwater biota directly, or indirectly through food web changes or altered abiotic interactions among the environmental changes.


2009 ◽  
Vol 66 (10) ◽  
pp. 1682-1692 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Catherine Eimers ◽  
Shaun A. Watmough ◽  
Andrew M. Paterson ◽  
Peter J. Dillon ◽  
Huaxia Yao

Total phosphorus (TP) levels in many Canadian Shield lakes in central Ontario have declined over recent decades, despite increases in human activity in most watersheds. To investigate the contribution of changes in catchment export to long-term declines in lake TP, we examined temporal and spatial patterns in TP concentrations and export (1980–1981 to 2001–2002) across 11 subcatchments that drain into three lakes in which average ice-free TP levels have declined by approximately 35%. Annual stream export of TP decreased significantly by 30%–89% in eight of the 11 subcatchments, and decreases in export were driven by declines in TP concentration, not changes in stream flow. Annual average TP concentrations varied fivefold among adjacent subcatchments, and temporal patterns in annual average TP concentrations were poorly correlated. Seasonal patterns of TP concentration were most similar among streams in the spring (March–April–May), and TP export in the spring declined significantly in 10 of the 11 subcatchments. Because spring melt is the principal hydrologic event in these seasonally snow-covered basins, decreases in TP export during the spring were primarily responsible for declines observed in annual export. The drivers of changes in TP over time are unclear at this point but are the focus of current research.


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